How to Make The Best Moist Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a time of reflection, renewal, and of course, delicious food. This Jewish holiday, like many others, features a variety of traditional foods and flavors. One traditional treat that graces many tables during this holiday is the honey cake. Symbolizing hope for a sweet year ahead, this moist and flavorful cake is a perfect addition to your Rosh Hashanah celebrations. In this recipe, the traditional honey cake gets an upgrade in the form of a citrusy twist. It’s the perfect dessert to make for the High Holidays. Serve it alongside other favorite treats, and cups of black tea or coffee for a sweet end to your meal.

This simple, lemony honey cake recipe will leave your family and friends asking for seconds.

Why Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah?

Honey cake has long been a beloved staple on the Rosh Hashanah table for many families, and its presence is rich with meaning and tradition. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a time for reflecting on the past year while looking ahead with hope and intention for a sweet and prosperous future. The symbolic use of honey during this holiday captures that sentiment perfectly, representing the hope for a sweet new year filled with blessings, joy, and success.

​The Significance of Sweet Honey

In Jewish culture, sweetness is associated with positive outcomes and happiness. As a result, honey plays a starring role in many Rosh Hashanah dishes, from dipping apples in honey to baking honey cakes, though the dishes and recipes each family serves can vary. The thick, golden sweetness of honey signifies the desire for a life rich in sweetness and abundance. This honey cake recipe is designed to be plenty sweet, of course, fitting the holiday, but also incorporating a tradition that dates back centuries and carrying it forward into the future.

Passing Along a Family Tradition

For many Jewish families, making a honey cake for Rosh Hashanah is an annual tradition passed down through generations. Recipes are often tweaked and adapted to suit family member’s tastes and preferences, but the core idea remains the same: to bake a cake that captures the essence of the holiday and the hope for a sweet, fruitful year ahead. It’s common to see variations of honey cakes, with additions like apples, nuts, spices, or even coffee, each family putting their unique spin on this classic dessert.

Why This Recipe Stands Out

While there are countless variations of honey cake, this particular recipe combines tradition with fresh, modern flavors. The addition of lemon juice and zest updates the traditional honey cake just a bit, adding a bit of brightness. The cake is tender and moist, with plenty of honey flavor. Topped with a sweet, lemony glaze, this cake offers the perfect balance of sweet, and tangy notes. Plus, it comes together easily with the use of a stand mixer, making it the perfect thing to make when you’re also cooking for a crowd.

Honey cake is more than just a dessert; it’s a meaningful way to welcome the New Year with open hearts and the sweet anticipation of good things to come. As you bake this cake, you’re participating in a beautiful tradition that has been passed down for generations, ensuring that the sweetness of honey continues to symbolize hope and positivity for the future.

Whether you serve honey cake at your Rosh Hashanah celebration every year or you’re considering trying something new, this lemon and honey cake recipe is a great way to put a twist on a well-loved tradition or start a brand-new one.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Before you start baking, make sure you have all the necessary ingredients on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:

For the Cake

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) non-dairy butter, at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup almond or oat milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice + zest of one lemon
• 1 cup honey (the honey should be runny)

For the Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Step-by-Step Instructions

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1. Preheat Your Oven

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a standard baking pan, I prefer a round baking pan. You can also line your pan with parchment paper for extra assurance that it won’t stick.

2. Mix Dry Ingredients

Add flour to a large mixing bowl and mix in the baking powder and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.

3. Combine Wet Ingredients

To a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the butter and whisk until creamed. Add the eggs and continue to mix until whipped and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice, honey, and beat until well mixed.

4. Incorporate Dry Ingredients

Slowly add the flour mixture to the honey mixture, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can make the cake dense.

5. Pour Batter into Pan

Pour the batter into your prepared pan(s). Make sure it’s spread evenly to ensure even baking.

6. Bake the Cake

Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back to the touch.

7. Cool and Serve

Let the cake cool in the pan(s) for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, glaze the cake, then slice and serve.

Tips for the Perfect Honey Cake

• Moisture Matters: To ensure your cake stays moist, don’t overbake it. Keep a close eye on your oven—ovens heat differently and your bake time might be slightly different than mine. Make sure you bake your cake until a toothpick or sharp knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back to the touch.
• Spice it Up: Consider adding some warm spices to your cake. Cardamom would be delicious in this cake. You could also add a bit of vanilla extract for extra flavor.
• Swap the Citrus: If lemon desserts just aren’t your thing, you can change things up a bit, leaving out the lemon juice and zest and instead adding orange juice and zest or grapefruit juice and zest.
• Storage: Honey cake often tastes even better the next day. Store your delicious, moist honey cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze for longer storage. If you freeze your cake, thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
• Switch Up the Pan: If you want to put a twist on the shape of your cake, consider baking it in mini loaf pans to gift honey cakes to your family and friends, or in a bundt pan for a showstopping holiday centerpiece.

Other Rosh Hashanah Dessert Ideas

If you aren’t interested in honey cake (or you’re just looking for additional ideas to round out the dessert line-up at your Rosh Hashanah celebration), here are a few additional ideas that I think you’ll love:

• Pumpkin Babka – This delicious, sweet, seasonal recipe is from my friend, Naomi Ross. This special pumpkin babka will be a hit at your holiday celebration.
• Baked Pears with Crumble – For a sweet, fruity end to your holiday meal, try these baked pears with a crunchy, slightly sweet crumble topping. These are great for a smaller celebration, but you can also scale up this recipe if you’re serving a big crowd.
• Jewish Apple Cake – This traditional cake features, of course, diced apple, another of the symbolic foods for Rosh Hashanah. While the recipe calls for a glaze that’s poured over the cake, if you’d rather skip the glaze, you can also dust the cake with powdered sugar, drizzle it with traditional caramel or a honey caramel, or serve it alongside a scoop of non-dairy vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. It’s a delicious traditional dessert that your whole gathering will love.
• Chocolate Paleo Pudding – Love to end a meal with a bit of chocolate? This rich, flavorful, dairy-free dessert will be a major crowd-pleaser among kids and adults alike.

Enjoying Your Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake

This honey cake pairs wonderfully with a cup of tea or coffee, making it perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a festive snack. Its rich, warm flavors are sure to make your Rosh Hashanah celebration sweeter and more memorable—the perfect addition to your holiday meal. The key ingredient is honey, one of the symbolic foods for Rosh Hashanah. Add this cake to your menu for your celebration of the Jewish New Year or any special occasion—you’re sure to love it.

Baking this honey cake is not just about creating a delicious dessert; it’s about connecting with a tradition that spans generations. As you share this cake with your loved ones, you’re also sharing in the hope and joy that Rosh Hashanah brings.

Wishing you a Shana Tova Umetukah—a good and sweet new year!

Lemon Honey Cake

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Course Dessert

Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) non dairy butter, at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup almond or oat milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice + zest of one lemon
• 1 cup runny honey

For Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour a springform or decorative bunt pan to grease well. Set aside.

  Add flour to a large bowl and mix in the baking powder and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside

  To a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the butter and whisk until creamed. Add the eggs and continue to mix until whipped and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice, honey, and beat until well mixed.

  Add the flour mixture into the wet batter in batches, whisking until everything is incorporated.

  Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before adding glaze.

  To make the glaze simply whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over tops of the cake. Enjoy!

Keyword Cake, Lemon, honey, rosh hashanah, holiday cake